Newsletter

Effingham County woman charged with animal cruelty

A woman from the Rincon area was arrested Wednesday night when a number of cats and dogs were found living in filthy and unsanitary conditions at her residence.

Susan McCormick, 57, of 104 Oak St., was charged with animal cruelty, said Effingham County Sheriff’s Spokesman David Ehsanipoor.

Officers with the Humane Enforcement Division of the sheriff’s office received a tip that the mobile home was overrun with animals.

Deputies found about 20 cats in the yard and on the roof, and another 10 cats and about seven dogs inside the residence, Ehsanipoor said.

They also found the decomposing bodies of two cats. “There were feces throughout the residence and the conditions were deplorable,” Ehsanipoor said.

None of the animals had been vaccinated for rabies, the spokesman said.

Additional charges may be forthcoming and additional arrests are expected, he said.

3rd ID soldier’s body found

The body of a Third Infantry Division soldier who went missing in the waters off St. Simons Island was recovered by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources at 8:20 p.m. Tuesday.

Staff Sgt. Calvin Leblanc was found near the St. Simons Island pier, according to Lt. Col. Benjamin Garrett, 3rd ID Division public affairs officer.

Leblanc went missing Sunday evening while swimming with his family near East Beach. Glynn County law enforcement assisted with the recovery, and the county’s coroner pronounced Leblanc dead at 9:45 p.m.

Garrett said chaplain support and family assistance have been extended to Leblanc’s family.